toto224

I'm new to squarespace and developing a new squarespace site for a client with a template they picked from the template library. Nothing fancy. My client has a live squarespace site and found that I could not create any new pages using the new template that wasn't messy or restricted, so we set up a new trial account for development. Now that the trial has run out she is paying for two accounts. This seems silly to me.
I read we can develop locally but setting up a local environment is overkill in my case. My client doesn't have the budget for me to setup and troubleshoot issues with a local environment, and issues that may arise from differences between local and live environments. Is there a reason why they won't give us a proper staging option?

Hey guys,
Have any of you looked into the Development Platform for SquareSpace? It's where I do my changes locally before publishing to the live site. It also allows you to test structural changes to the underlying template. I would recommend you start here. https://developers.squarespace.com

No one has thoughts at all? I was hoping for some feedback, too!
I was hoping if someone had ideas on if there was issues with starting a new trial site under my name so we're not limited by the standard free trial period while I build out their entire site. Basically copying everything manually from their site to build into a new theme and optimizing as I build. Then with the hopes of connecting their domain to the trial site I created.
Or, work within my client's backend, upload new theme to build it all out in one night so things transfer over without urls and domain change and then build the site as it goes live. Not ideal, but at least URLs and things have a smaller chance of breaking.
Maybe Squarespace has a new way of doing things? I feel like getting a hold of them right now is impossible, so hoping someone knows. 
Squarespace! Give us a staging site option!

I'm a freelance designer/developer who's still learning some of the ropes. I'm fairly experienced with Wordpress (but still have lots to learn there too!) but am currently working with a client to redesign their Squarespace site.
I've learned that unlike with Wordpress or Drupal, there's no support to create a staging site in Squarespace to make major changes without changing (and potentially breaking) the live site. From browsing this forum, I know I'm not the only one who finds that frustrating.
Anyway: my client has an existing Squarespace site, and they want a thoroughly redesigned site, also in Squarespace. They'll need a new template, of course, but also some new content (I'm working with them to create some new landing pages), and a completely reorganized navigation structure.
Given that, and given Squarespace's limitations for developers, my question is: does it make more sense / is it more of a best practice to:
(a) develop the new template design using a different trial site and/or the local development server (which I've played with a little bit), duplicating or creating new individual pages, and then, when it's time to go live, putting a cover page up and doing everything else on the live site while it's down? (like what's described here: https://answers.squarespace.com/questions/67379/how-can-i-redesign-a-clients-site-without-going-live.html) I'm concerned this would put my client's live site down for a while, so I can test everything * with their content * and get their feedback. And it just... feels scary, and kind of insane, compared to how I'd do it in WP, you know?
OR, (b) clone all their content, e.g. using the imperfect-but-doable export to WP > export back from WP to SS workaround, developing the redesign on the clone site, and then, when it's time to go live, switching the client's domain to point to the live site? This mostly seems like the safer option, and this is where I'm leaning, but I'm worried I'll end up spending a lot of time spot-checking content, re-uploading blog posts' thumbnail images manually, etc. (And, reader, they have a lot of blog posts.) And it feels like there should be a better way???
OR is there a more sane © that I haven't learned about yet?
tl;dr do I need to use clunky import/export workarounds to create a clone site in order to develop a redesign for a client without breaking their live site, or is there a better way? I tried to convince them to move to WP, but it didn't work, so now I'm here. Any guidance appreciated!